"الجغرافيا الشرقية لابن حوقل، رحّالة عربي من القرن العاشر" [‎١‎٦] (٣٨٨/٣١)

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PREFACE.
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" They say that in the whole world there is not any place
more delightful than these three; one, the Soghd of Samar-
cand; another, the Rud-i-Aileh (or Ab\zh)and thirdly, the
Ghoutah of Damascus."
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The reader will find in page 237 of this work, that Ebn
Haukal prefers the Soghd of Samarcand fas in Tabari's
Chronicle, and Abulfeda) to the rival Tempes, and de
scribes those points in which its superior beauty consists. Why
the Shaab Bouan has been omitted, I cannot pretend to have
discovered*. The deplorable inaccuracy of Oriental tran
scribers, as well as translators, has been so often noticed, that
it is unnecessary for me to dwell on the difficulties attending
M ohammed S aduk I sfahani, the Nahr Ubbullah is within four farsnng of
Basrah.
* Similar omissions (though not so important J may he detected in other passages. E bn
H aukal, as quoted by A bulfeda, tells us, that the Hamyaritick inscription before
mentioned in this Preface, was on the Gate of Kash at Samarcand. — Our Persian trans
lator has omitted the name of the gate ; hut we find, in some pUices, that he has retained
more a/" E bn H aukal's particular descriptions //wi A bulfeda.